Summer heat means more kids at the pool, and the City of Orlando is encouraging swim safety by participating in the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Thursday.
The event is run by an organization called Team WLSL, which holds the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swim lesson. It’s a global initiative to raise awareness of the dangers of drowning, one of the leading causes of death in children.
City of Orlando Pool Supervisor Denise Moore said saving lives starts with having a conversation.
“The lesson itself is not so much that a person will learn how to swim in a thirty minute lesson, it’s more about safety, showing them things that they can do to possibly help themselves if they find themselves in a risky situation around water," Moore said. "Mostly though, it’s about generating the dialogue for drowning prevention.”
Free swim lessons will be provided at these five Orlando community pools at 1:15pm:
- Northwest Neighborhood Center Pool, 3955 W.D. Judge Drive
- Dr. James R. Smith Neighborhood Center Pool, 1745 Bruton Boulevard
- College Park Neighborhood Center Pool, 2411 Elizabeth Avenue
- John Long Pool at the Colonialtown Neighborhood Center, 1218 North Fern Creek Avenue
- Wadeview Neighborhood Center Pool, 2177 South Summerlin Avenue